Oct 8, 2009 - 10:46 pm .- A statue of Our Lady of Lujan—the most popular Marian devotion in Argentina—will be erected on October 10 at the Darwin Cemetery on the Falkland Islands by a group of family members of fallen soldiers, accompanied by Bishop Juan Carlos Romanin of Rio Gallegos.

Oct 8, 2009 - 08:16 pm .- Survivors of abuse at the hands of Irish clergy and religious met with the full house of the Irish Bishops’ Conference at Maynooth on Wednesday, asking that they ensure restitution is made to all victims.

Oct 8, 2009 - 08:05 pm .- Catholic lay leadership is essential in public life and can accomplish much that Catholic bishops cannot do, Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput has said. His Thursday speech at an awards banquet praised Belmont Abbey College for standing up for its “right to be Catholic,” while also warning that evil will certainly triumph if it is left unopposed.

Oct 8, 2009 - 07:12 pm .- The Brazilian Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense has approved the accords that recognize, among other things, the juridical status of the Catholic Church in Brazil as well as her work in the country. According to the Senado news agency, the agreement between Brazil and the Holy See will now be sent to the entire Senate for debate.

Oct 8, 2009 - 05:06 pm .- The U.S. Catholic bishops sent an open letter to Congress today, stating that they will “vigorously oppose” the health care bills unless they prevent taxpayer funds from paying for abortion, make care affordable for everyone and ensure that immigrants have access to the health system.

Oct 8, 2009 - 01:51 pm .- The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Rouco, encouraged Spaniards this week to participate in the upcoming March for Life which more than 40 organizations are convening from all over the country. The October 17 march is being held as the Spanish government continues to push for a liberalization of the country's abortion laws.

Oct 8, 2009 - 11:41 am .- Archbishop Joseph Tlhagale of Johannesburg, South Africa said this morning at the Synod for Africa that the continent faces a "second wave of colonization" from "liberalism, secularism and from lobbyists who squat at the United Nations."

Oct 8, 2009 - 06:18 am .- Cardinal Francis George of Chicago and four other bishops have issued a "Statement of Principles" for Catholic-Jewish Dialogue, saying a recent clarifying document would be amended to remove misunderstanding about the purpose of inter-religious dialogue.

Oct 8, 2009 - 03:25 am .- A Missouri bishop has decried a “mentality of sterility,” naming it as a main factor in the present crisis of family life. He predicted that the renewal of the family and the Church would take place only when Catholics rediscover their “call to fruitfulness.”

Oct 8, 2009 - 01:12 am .- The president of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe, Cardinal Peter Erdö, said this week that although the Church’s voice often does not make the front page, it is always “stronger than any other noise, lie, propaganda or manipulation.”